I tend to get caught up in the stories of objects, where things came from, how they got here. The up side is that I can pass the time during a wait in line or …

Welcome to AFS 435: Advanced Foley Studio. AFS 435 is an independent-study unit for sound-design students looking to build their ambient-noise portfolios. You will receive one grade for the semester, based on your ability to …

At the time of year when the summer falls back and the fall verges forward, the two seasons leave a space between them in my head for all the years before. If a single madeleine …

I’ll tell you what I really miss, living in New York City. Sure, I miss the sound of a breeze blowing the leaves together on an autumn night, and the elusive three-dollar-and-fifty-cent pint, but right …

7:20 am. Alarm goes off. Surface from a very pleasant dream to hear the words “thank you, Jesus, for this cloudy Monday morning” (radio tuner is set to an FM Christian-witness station, the better to …

I would like to begin today’s column with a disclaimer and an announcement. First, the disclaimer: I do not have the most horrible neighbors in the world. My neighbors do not deal drugs, or discharge …

Ah, city living. New Yorkers have at their disposal, in addition to an infinite number of cultural opportunities and convenient scenes from life’s rich pageant, hundreds of ways in which they might acquire a championship …

Once upon a time, on an island where rivers meet the sea, a traveler fitted for adventure in roaring canyons of concrete could find the great city of New York. From across one of the …